Source Lunch: Jim Entenman of J&L Harley Davidson

For Source Lunch, Sioux Falls Business Journal editor Jodi Schwan has lunch with someone in the news and writes about the conversation. This month, she ate with Jim

Entenman, the CEO of J&L Harley Davidson.

JS: Congratulations, first of all, on your award from the Prairie Business Association (J&L Harley Davidson and the Entenman family recently were named winners of the Boyd Hopkins Sr. Excellence in Family Business Award). You said at the ceremony you were shocked.

JE: I was shocked at the award and really humbled to tell you the truth. Looking at the names of others who have received it it’s quite an honor and it added credibility to what we’ve been doing from a succession standpoint.

JS: I learned some things about you when you were honored! Like you began preparing to transition the business to your next generation more than 10 years ago.

JE: I started through a program Harley Davidson had in identifying a succession plan, so we started in earnest 10 years ago. Dec. 26 was our tenth anniversary of our succession plan, and we’re in the process of working on it. My succession plan is (sons) Jim and Joe are going to take over the operations of the company. They managed and run the operation in Fargo which we bought three years ago as well as Watertown. We have great GM’s in those locations, but they’re managing those.

JS: Have you set the timeframe yet?

JE: Within the next 12 months Jim and Joe will assume operational control. We just don’t have it totally defined yet.

JS: So are you done now?

JE: No. I’m never done. It’s kind of hard when it’s been your whole life. In business what you find is I’ve been going over 40 years and fighting the battles for a long time. We’ve had 10 years of really dynamic growth in our company. We added three stores. I’m just getting a little tired and it’s time for the next generation to step up and go, and the boys have worked in the business their whole lives. They’re prepared and excited for the opportunities going forward and to tell you the truth probably more business-minded than I am. I had the opportunity to grow with the business, so as the business and customers grew, we were able to grow. So it’s been a great experience. Now the second and third generations have to hit the ground running and have the skills available to make the bus continue. At least in my opinion.

JS: How’s the new store in Fargo doing?

JE: It’s doing fine. It’s right out on the interstate. We’ve got a great team and the community was really hungry for a good dealership.

JS: A lot of business people tell me the markets are extremely similar. What are you finding?

JE: Yeah, the market definitely was underserved and the markets are very similar. The communities are very similar. To me it was a no-brainer. When the opportunity presented itself we jumped on it. It was the right move for us. We’ve had significant positive impacts on sales right off the bat.

JS: Are you looking at any other locations?

JE: Not right now. We want to get the succession plan off and pay down debt (laughs).

JS: OK, so big question, because I know people want to know. What’s next for Jim Entenman? Any more political aspirations?

JE (laughs): I’m intrigued. You know, I really enjoyed my service on the City Council, and the reason I got off it was to concentrate on the acquisition up north. I really enjoyed it. I felt like we accomplished a lot and that I had something to offer the city and give back to the community I grew up in. So that was good. What’s going to happen in the future? Yet to be determined.

THINGS I WONDERED ABOUT JIM

Question: What’s the best business advice you’ve received?

Answer: You know, I think probably the best advice I received was from my dad and it had to deal with integrity. If you make a promise, you live to that promise. If you give your word on something, you stand by that word. I think the integrity aspect of a business is extremely important and building that business brand so I think it did come from my dad. He was a very hard worker. Didn’t have a high school education and did a lot and wanted to support his family.

Question: Where’s your favorite spot to ride a Harley?

Answer: I love Sioux Falls. I love this region. My favorite spot is any time I can get on that bike and go around our area. We’ve got great roads. You’re never more in tune to nature than when you’re on a motorcycle. I just love riding in this region. Eastern South Dakota is beautiful. It’s not unusual to get on a bike and ride to Chamberlain for coffee or ride to Watertown for a day and you turn onto a road and see where it takes you.

Question: If you could have lunch with anyone in the state tomorrow, who would it be?

Answer: There’s a lot of people. I’d love to have lunch with Gov. Daugaard. I’d just like to talk about his management style and get his perspective on the way he runs the governor’s office and the importance of the need for transparency between he and his departments and how he handles relationships with communities around the state.

WHERE WE WENT:

McNally’s Irish Pub

WHAT WE ATE:

California club sandwich and an Irish BLT

Newsletter

Be the first to be informed of important news as it happens in Sioux Falls.Sign up now